jnejah

Took delivery of MY13 Bluetec in obsidian black last week. Happy to have a car to do light towing without sacrificing style and comfort.

I got help from TOGWT on deciding how to detail and protect the brand new car. The two step polish and opti coat the car received are documented in another section of the forums. https://mbworld.org/forums/detailing...ml#post5682966

Thanks to many on this site, I learned a lot about the new car delivery and prepping process. Our other MBs are jealous of the treatment their new family member received and I wish I knew a lot more in the 30 years I have been buying cars. Our new cars to come are happy that they will be treated well when they arrive!

shortspark

I always thought black was a great color for the ML350 and yours is proof of it. But I learned long ago not to have a dark colored car in Texas (worse than even Florida!). Black is beautiful but it presents a lot of problems to people like me who are into detailing and therefore are cursed to see all the defects. I selected Diamond White for my ML - and I am glad I did.

Gary Dean is one of the best detailers in the country. He has introduced various detailing techniques (I use his rinseless wash method all the time) and even developed individual product lines to his exacting specifications. Gary does not see detailing as a job only but takes it to the next level. You are lucky he handled your car because you are assured of getting the best work possible. The video of his techniques and the finished product speaks for itself.

Fortunately, my car needed little correction when I picked it up but I did notice what looked like a bit of rail dust so I clayed using a mild bar (Griot's clay). The bar was virtually clean but there were a few specks it picked up. I followed with P21s Paintwork Cleanser (a must have product) and a second wash using with my favorite shampoo, Chemical Guys "Clear". Clear is ph neutral and can be used at a diluted ratio for weekly washes without harm to the wax or sealant. It can also be used at a higher ratio to strip the wax. As a bonus, this car wash works very well in a foam canon or gun thanks to its hyper suds formula. I highly recommend it.

Optimum Opti-coat is an unsual product in that it is basically a permanent sealant for the paint finish. I like to experiment with different looks and I go back and forth with sealants and wax so Opti-coat was not an option I wanted to take. I am not sure if I hit upon the holy grail for Diamond White but after much experimentation I have pretty much settled on the Duragloss line as being best for this very fine Mercedes tri-coat paint. After performing the steps above, I then use Duragloss 105 along with their 601 bonding agent at a 1:4 ratio. I follow this with their 111 pure sealant. Every so often I give it a "topper" and boost spray of Duragloss AquaWax spray sealant. It is like a quick detailer on steroids that not only enhances gloss but bonds to provide some extra protection. I have also used another Optimum product, their excellent spray Car Wax as a "topper" and with very good results. I just recently used Collinite 845 Insulator Wax over the Duragloss sealant and so far so good. Time will tell but I am expecting six months of protection at least from this combination.

It is clear that Gary has found what works with the Obsidian Black but I am providing this information so that others, especially those who have Diamond White or a silver color, might try what I have done and report back on their results. And I bet it would work just as well for black too. Congratulations on the beautiful ML (and the good sense to have it cared for by one of the best!!).

Cyber GS

Best of luck with your new ML..

jnejah

thanks cyber gs.
shorts park - I'm going to bring another car to Garry that is Diamond White shortly. I will let you know what he does and be sure to tell him about your experience with the paint. Thanks for letting me know!
Opti coat working very well. Very easy to wash and basically nothing bonds to it. Highly recommend it.

shortspark

Thanks, Gary's input will be most appreciated.

fabbrisd1

With a fresh MB Einszett Gllanz "wax" (Blue top as a sealant and after 1 week any good nano-carnuba spray for added depth/lustre... total material cost under USD$35 - both products wipe-on/wipe-off... anything else above that is up to you and your budget with your detailer..

jnejah

I used to do what fabbrisd1 suggested for all of our cars over many many cars and years. Amongst many others, 5 of the things I learned from a good detailer (not a hacker) was that:

1) it takes great skill to truly cut and polish paint close to 100% defect free
2) a brand new car can have numerous paint defects
3) sealants only further preserve the defects that is underneath it
4) that there is no luck involved in temporarily good looking paint vs a good looking paint with longevity and
5) dealer based cosmetic "prep", not the mechanical prep, is highly over rated and should be avoided unless your dealership has a professional detailer.

fabbrisd1 is right - you get what you pay for as long as you don't have a hacker for a detailer.

jnejah

shortspark - had a diamond white car detailed. This car was NOT brand new like the ML. about 9 month since delivery. Did not opti coat for comparison purposes. Will write up more info of detail in another post (W211 and Detail forum).

shortspark

Thanks, I'll be looking at the detail forum for your comparison.

jnejah

Here's what I learned from my second detail with Garry Dean.
https://mbworld.org/forums/detailing...ml#post5715208

shortspark

That's terrific! You should post this at the autopiaforums.com where Gary is a respected member and sponsor.

jnejah

3 years after getting opt-coat applied, both wagon and SUV were beading just like day one. Tried new, less expensive, protection option from Garry Dean on a 16 wagon and have been very happy with it for the past 9 months. As promised, Garry's product has been just as good as Opti Coat and the cars still have the luster and protection I want.

Had Garry detail a brand new GLE last week. He used the latest version of his products on the car and I think his work continues to be fantastic. You can watch the video here.